


Shield Avenue Mall

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 1990s, Alternate Universe - High School, First Meetings, Friendship, Holding Hands, M/M, More Joy Day Fest, Paintball, Prompt Fill, Shopping Malls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for Alternate Universes prompt:MCU, Avengers Team, Gen or Any/Any, They're workers or proprietors in a shopping mallIn which Steve has his first job the summer before he starts at a new school, and makes an interesting group of new friends.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108508
Comments: 19
Kudos: 33





	Shield Avenue Mall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [schweinsty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/schweinsty/gifts), [Taste_is_Sweet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_is_Sweet/gifts).



> Happy More Joy Day!

**Summer, 1990-something**

Steve looked down at himself in dismay. He’d been happy to get a summer job at the mall – he needed to make his own money so he could afford new clothes when school started again – but hadn’t realized he’d have to wear a horribly ugly uniform.

“Don’t forget the hat,” Becky said.

Of course. The hat. A blue baseball cap with a stuffed ice cream cone on it, to go with the blue apron that said Spangles across the front in big white letters. There was also a red vest and a white shirt. Pretty patriotic for ice cream.

For the next hour Becky, the assistant manager, walked Steve through all his orders. How to make a milkshake, how to make a hot fudge sundae, how to do a chocolate dip. It wasn’t difficult work, but it _was_ messy. By the time the after-lunch rush was through, his apron was covered in melted ice cream and various sweet sauces.

By the time the weekend rolled around, Steve was able to work solo and without making such a mess of himself. It also seemed like Spangles was getting more foot traffic than when he first started, but the temperature had been pretty high all week.

“Welcome to Spangles. What can I get you?” Steve asked his next customer, a redhead with short bobbed hair and the softest looking brown leather jacket he’d ever seen.

She gave him a long, appraising look. “Strawberry shake.”

Steve noticed, when she reached into her back pocket, she was wearing a nametag that said _Natasha_. “You work in the mall?”

“Wilson’s Leather,” she replied. “You like slinging ice cream?”

“It’s pretty cool,” Steve quipped.

He got the ice cream and milk in the shake cup and put it under the blender. He could feel Natasha watching him, which made the back of his neck itch. Luckily it didn’t take long to blend up the shake, which he transferred to a to-go cup with a straw.

Steve traded the shake for the money Natasha took out of her pocket and handed her back some change.

Natasha took a pull on the straw and her eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. “Wow. This is really good. Becky always makes the shakes too thin.”

Steve just shrugged, oddly embarrassed.

“Welcome to the mall,” Natasha said, walking away.

*o*o*o*

The next time Steve worked, he felt sure he was dealing with way more giggling girls than he had before. They clustered along the counter, whispering and blushing and being annoyingly indecisive about what they wanted to order. They asked to sample almost every flavor.

When they finally cleared out, there was a guy in a tight purple t-shirt waiting with Natasha, who was wearing a black leather jacket this time.

“Strawberry shake?” Steve asked. 

Natasha nodded. “And a vanilla with rainbow sprinkles for my friend Clint.”

“In a sugar cone,” Clint added.

Steve wondered if Natasha and Clint went to the same school he’d be going to in the fall, but he didn’t want to ask and seem too dorky.

“I see what you mean,” Clint said to Natasha. Steve tried not to eavesdrop, but it wasn’t like the guy was whispering. “All-American for sure. All he needs is a baseball and an apple pie.”

Steve blushed and got the blender going to mask whatever else they were saying. It was probably just the outfit anyway; he was practically wearing an American flag.

“…seems nice,” Natasha was saying when Steve shut off the blender.

He finished up their order, and Natasha paid for both.

“You seem sporty,” Clint said. “You need any gear, come over to Dick’s. I get a pretty good discount.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, surprised at the offer.

“See you around.”

Steve watched them leave, and hoped they’d be classmates once school started.

*o*o*o*

Spangles was across from the food court, which was convenient when Steve took his brief lunch breaks. It didn’t take long to wolf down a slice of Sbarro’s pizza. Normally he ate alone, but when he picked up his order and looked around for a table, he was surprised to see Clint waving at him.

“Over here, ice cream dude!”

He was wearing a hunter green Dick’s Sporting Goods polo, and the guy sitting with him was wearing a black KB Toys polo. They were clearly also on their lunch break, judging by the tray full of crumpled Taco Bell wrappers on the table.

“So you’re the new guy. I’m Sam.”

“He’s the Toy Master,” Clint said solemnly. “He’s got a Haleakala Pog. It’s pretty sweet.”

Steve wasn’t sure what that meant, so he just ate his slice. He’d been homeschooled because he’d been really sick as a kid and even once he’d gotten better his mother had been afraid to send him to school. He wasn’t as up on pop culture as other kids his age.

“We’re getting in some Next Gen Pogs this week,” Sam said, lowering his voice like he was relaying secret information. “I’m feelin’ lucky this time.”

Clint shook his head. “You’ll never get Scotty. No-one gets Scotty.”

“You play, Steve?” Sam asked.

“Uh…”

Clint grinned. “You have no idea what we’re talking about, do you?”

Steve blushed. “No. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, man,” Sam said cheerfully. “Stop by my store. I’ll hook you up with a starter set.”

“And then he’ll try to win it off you,” Clint said.

That led to used taco wrappers being balled up and thrown at each other across the table. Steve was absurdly pleased when Clint and Sam included him, foil wrappers bouncing off his head.

*o*o*o*

“Are you sure this is okay?” Steve asked nervously.

Nat had invited him to go with her and some friends to the cineplex at the mall and had assured him he didn’t need to bring any money. Steve had thought she was just being nice and offering to pay, but it turned out she knew the girl selling tickets. Maria waved them through.

“You’ve seen your paycheck, man,” Sam said. “Mall doesn’t pay us much for our labor. Think of this like a bonus.”

It still seemed wrong, but Steve didn’t want to be the one guy that complained. They’d never ask him to come out with them again if he did.

“Yeah. Chill out, Spangles.” Tony Stark, who Steve only knew as the rich kid who worked at Spencer’s, laughed at his own joke. But he also bought everyone popcorn and candy and soda, with a credit card that had Howard Stark’s name on it.

The other guy rounding out the group was Bruce. It was a mystery, what he was doing hanging around with the cool kids. He wore a sweater vest over a button-down shirt and had a book in his hand. Who brought a book to the movie theater?

“I have to finish this chapter,” he said by way of explanation.

“What are we going to see?” Steve asked.

“We’re not here for a movie,” Nat explained. “We’re here to heckle Clint. He’s on a date.”

Clint had anticipated that, it seemed, because he was sitting in the very last row in the back. Nat still threw popcorn at him, and Tony made a lot of inappropriate Dick’s comments to try and embarrass Clint’s date, Laura.

The movie was pretty good, though. There were improbably funny ghosts and a love story and Michael J. Fox right in the middle of it all. Afterwards, they all crammed into Tony’s Land Rover and went to Perkins for some late-night food, also courtesy of Howard Stark. That, added to all the friendly teasing and a sugar packet war, made it the best movie night Steve ever had.

*o*o*o*

Everyone managed to sync up their lunch breaks at the end of the week, so they pushed a couple tables together and picked off the trays of food in the middle regardless of who had bought what.

Steve finally felt like one of the gang instead of the new guy trying to fit in. He could tease Natasha, throw things at Clint, and verbally spar with Tony without worrying that he was crossing a line.

“Anyone up for Six Flags this weekend?” Tony asked. “My dad just won a big government contract, so he has money to burn.”

“I’m in,” Clint said. “I need another shot at the Backbreaker.”

Sam nodded. “Right. You wussed out last time.”

“I got food poisoning!”

“Sure you did.”

Before food wrappers could start flying, Natasha nudged Tony and pointed. 

“Holy shit. We thought you were dead.” Tony pulled a chair over from the adjacent table.

There was a guy standing next to their table, and Steve couldn’t stop looking at him. Dark hair that hung over his forehead, bright blue eyes ringed in eyeliner, and an outfit that was all black, accented with buckles and spikes. Even his nails were painted black.

“You wish,” the guy replied. He flipped the chair around and sat in it, arms resting on the back. “Who’s the new guy?”

“This is Steve,” Clint said. “He’s the ice cream dude at Spangles.”

Tony finished up the introductions. “And this is Bucky. If you couldn’t guess from the guyliner, he works at Hot Topic. When he decides to grace the world with his presence.”

“Told you I was going up north,” Bucky said.

“How was it?” Sam asked.

“Cold.”

Steve had seen guys like Bucky before. He didn’t know if they were goths or punks or whatever, but none of them had made it look so good. On Bucky it looked natural.

“We’re going to Six Flags this weekend,” Natasha said. “You in?”

“Can’t. I have to make up hours. Next time.”

Bucky grabbed a taco, gave Steve an enigmatic look, and left.

*o*o*o*

Steve dodged the first fist, but the second glanced off his jaw and sent him stumbling back. He managed to land a couple punches of his own, which was pretty good for a guy who’d never been in a fight before, but it wasn’t long before he got knocked on his ass.

The kid whose rescue Steve had been trying to facilitate was nowhere to be seen, which meant he wouldn’t be repaying the favor. Steve couldn’t blame him. These guys were bigger and meaner than both of them.

“If you’re smart you’ll stay down,” one of the guys growled, looming over him.

“And maybe you’ll pick on someone your own size, jerkwad,” a voice said right before the goon went flying.

Bucky was like an avenging angel in black jeans and eyeliner. By the time Steve got back to his feet, the goons were running away.

“What the hell were you doing, mixing it up with those assholes?” Bucky wiped a bead of blood off his lip. 

“They were picking on this scrawny kid,” Steve said. He’d spotted them the second he stepped out the back door with a bag full of garbage for the dumpster.

“So you just jumped in.”

Steve shrugged. “Anyone would have.”

But maybe they wouldn’t, since Bucky seemed so surprised about it.

“You know that’s an apron, not a cape. Right?” Bucky’s lips twitched up in a grin, and Steve got a funny kind of feeling in his stomach.

“I should probably get back to work.”

“I’ll walk you,” Bucky said. “Make sure you don’t jump into any other fights that aren’t yours.”

He held the back door open for Steve – who made sure the garbage got dropped in the dumpster first – and ushered him inside with flair. “After you, Captain Courageous.”

Steve couldn’t stop thinking about it the whole rest of the day.

*o*o*o*

“Thanks, Steve!” a chorus of young girls sing-songed at him. They carried their ice creams off to the food court.

“Thanks, Steeeeeve,” Clint echoed, fluttering his eyelashes. 

Steve threw sprinkles at him. “Are you here to giggle at me, too, or do you want something?”

Clint made an intensive study of the menu, and then just ordered what he always did: vanilla with rainbow sprinkles in a sugar cone.

“So listen.” He leaned against the counter. “Dick’s is sponsoring a paintball thing next weekend. It’s gonna be set up in the parking lot. You interested?”

Steve paused in the act of burying Clint’s ice cream in sprinkles. “I’ve never done paintball.”

“It’s pretty awesome. Everyone else is in, except Bruce. I’m gonna sign us up for a time slot on Sunday, and then we’ll pick teams.”

Pick teams? Steve stomach twisted a bit at that. What if he got picked last? He’d just admitted never having played before, so he wouldn’t be an asset to any team.

“I don’t know,” he said. He finished up Clint’s cone and handed it over. It shed sprinkles all over the counter.

“Aww, come on! It’ll be fun, I promise. Well, it hurts a little when you get hit with one. But it’s not bad. If you don’t play we’ll have uneven teams.”

Steve thought maybe it would be okay. After all, everyone had been super nice to him when they went to Six Flags, even though he’d never been to an amusement park before. Paintball couldn’t be worse than riding the Backbreaker.

“Okay. I’m in.”

Clint grinned and held his hand up for a high-five. “You won’t regret it!”

Steve wasn’t sure about regrets, but he was anxious all week until Sunday rolled around. He met everyone out in the parking lot, a section of which had been walled off with plywood. Inside was a course with obstacles and things to climb.

“We’re up next,” Clint said eagerly. “Bucky and me will pick teams.”

“Why do you and Glamour Shots get to pick?” Tony complained.

“So there’s only one sniper on each team,” Clint replied, like it made total sense. “You want to flip a coin to see who goes first?”

“Just go,” Bucky said.

“I pick Nat.”

“I get Captain Courageous,” Bucky said, nodding at Steve.

Steve looked back at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be picked first, and he had that funny feeling again. Clint picked Sam, and Bucky made a big show of being stuck with Tony, though Steve was sure that was just to rile Tony up. Which it did.

They were given paint-stained coveralls – tan for Clint’s team and blue for Bucky’s – safety goggles, and paintball guns with a finite number of paintballs.

“Three direct hits and you’re out,” Clint said. He looked directly at Tony. “No cheating.”

Now that he’d been picked for a team, Steve’s worries switched over to getting hit by a paintball. How much would it hurt? Would it leave a bruise?

“Keep low and don’t run out in the open,” Bucky advised. 

Tony snapped out a salute. “Sir, yes sir!”

Bucky flipped him off, slung the strap of his gun over his shoulder, and started climbing the rope ladder that would take him to the top of a tree that had been fabricated from wood scraps and tires. Clint was doing the same at the other end of the course; he’d tied a purple bandanna around his head.

A bell signaled the start of battle, and for several minutes it was very quiet as people moved stealthily into position. And then Bucky got a shot in at Sam, and all hell broke loose. Teammates were calling out instructions to each other, and smack talking the opposing side, and Steve had a couple paintballs splat on the plywood bush he was hiding behind, very near his head.

“That was a direct hit, Tony!”

“You only winged me, warrior princess!”

“Sam, on your left!”

“Steve! You have the shot!”

At Bucky’s words, Steve poked his head out and saw he had Natasha right in his sights. He took aim and pulled the trigger but closed his eyes at the last minute, so he didn’t see if he’d tagged her.

“Woo hoo!” Bucky whooped. “Nice one!”

Steve’s eyes popped open and he saw his orange paint on Natasha’s coveralls, right over her clavicle. She was glaring at him behind her goggles.

“Yeah. Nice shot.” She whipped her gun up so fast Steve couldn’t react in time, and she got him in the shoulder. 

The paintball had some heft to it, and it stung a bit, but nothing as bad as Steve had been expecting.

“This isn’t tennis!” Bucky shouted. “Duck and cover!”

Confidence restored, Steve dove for cover and avoided a second hit. He helped Tony take down Sam but got taken out himself by Clint. In the end it came down to the two snipers facing off in an old-fashioned duel, which had been Tony’s suggestion. Bucky was just a bit quicker on the trigger and his shot hit first.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sitting around a table at Perkins, laughing and talking about the paintball battle and what strategies they’d employ next time. They picked food off each other’s plates, and Bucky let Steve taste some of his shake to compare it to the ones he made at Spangles, and it was pretty much a perfect day.

*o*o*o*

Steve checked his watch again. Where was everyone? Natasha had said they were meeting at the cineplex for the seven o’clock show, and it was almost that now. Had he got the day wrong? Or the time?

It was a relief when he saw Bucky walking up.

“I don’t know where the others are,” Steve said.

Bucky shrugged. “They can find us. I’m not waiting.”

They went in on a large bucket of popcorn, and each got their own soda. Maria was working, and she waved them through without having to pay. Steve scanned the theater when they got inside, looking for their friends, but there was no sign of them. When he and Bucky found good seats and sat down, Steve felt a flash of nerves. What was supposed to have been a group hangout now felt more like a date.

They were sitting so close together their shoulders kept bumping. There was only an arm rest between them.

Steve kept a panicked gaze on the door, but Natasha never came through it. Neither did Clint or Sam or Tony. The lights went down, the previews started, and Steve was too afraid to reach for the popcorn Bucky was holding on his lap.

They’d come to see a movie about tornadoes, which promised lots of action and cool special effects, but Steve could barely focus on it. He was too aware of Bucky next to him in the darkened theater: every time he moved, every time he laughed.

“You think it’s really that scary?” Bucky leaned close to Steve, murmuring in his ear. “Being in a tornado?”

“I don’t know,” Steve whispered back.

He didn’t think there was anything scarier than sitting next to Bucky in the dark. Except maybe going for the popcorn and having their hands bump together, the slide that felt like a caress probably just from the greasy butter. 

For the first time in a long time, Steve was having a difficult time breathing.

After a while, Bucky set the popcorn tub on the floor and passed Steve a napkin to get the butter off his hands. And then while Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were getting emotional on the big screen, Bucky casually reached over and held Steve’s hand.

Steve had no idea how the movie ended.

*o*o*o*

Labor Day weekend came all too soon.

School would be starting in two days and Steve wasn’t sure he was ready. His summer had been so good, and he really enjoyed hanging out with his friends, but surely that would change once everyone was distracted by classes and sports and stuff.

“Hey! Captain Spangles!” Tony called from the diving board. “Check this out!”

He made like he was going to do a regular dive, then turned it into a cannonball at the last second, sending a splash of water up over the edge of the pool where Natasha was sitting on one of the lounge chairs. 

“You’re dead meat, Stark!” Natasha said, flinging aside her sunglasses and pulling her t-shirt over her head to expose the black one-piece swimsuit underneath.

She jumped in the pool, almost right on top of Tony, and pushed him back under the water.

They were at Tony’s house for an end-of-summer barbecue. Steve had never been anywhere so fancy. The house was a mansion, the pool was enormous, and there was even a poolside bar serving them mocktails. Steve had been hoping to meet Tony’s dad, but he was overseas on a business trip.

Steve was sitting in the hot tub with Sam, who had his head tipped back and his eyes closed.

“This is the life, man. I need to get me one of these.”

“I think my bones are melting,” Steve said. “It’s nice.”

Tony and Natasha stopped wrestling and joined Clint and Bruce in a game of pool volleyball. Steve had positioned himself in the hot tub so he could see everyone, especially Bucky, who was sitting under the big oak tree reading a book.

“Are you guys all this close when school’s in?” Steve couldn’t help asking.

Sam nodded without opening his eyes. “Yeah, as much as we can. We go to each other’s games and meets and Tony’s weird robotics club competitions.”

Steve knew Sam was on the track team, and Clint did archery. He wondered if Bucky played any sports, or was in any clubs. Maybe there was something they could do together.

“You should try out for the track team,” Sam said. “You have the build for it.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. Nothing to lose by trying out, right?”

Steve looked down at himself. He didn’t think he was particularly athletic, but recalled Clint had called him ‘sporty’ the first time they met.

“Does Bucky play sports?”

Sam snorted. “Mr. Emo? No. He lifts weights in the gym, and he’s in the science club with Bruce and Tony.”

Steve looked back over at Bucky, and their eyes met when Bucky looked up from his book. He grinned, and winked, and Steve felt warmth that had nothing to do with the hot tub.

“I can feel the goo-goo eyes,” Sam complained. “Give me a break.”

Steve flushed, but didn’t apologize. “Jealous much?”

Sam lifted his head and opened his eyes, giving Steve an appraising look. “You gettin’ sassy with me, Spangles?”

“I just call it as I see it,” Steve replied.

Sam grinned and splashed water at Steve. “You’ve been hanging around us too long.”

“Hey!” Tony shouted from the pool. “You guys done turning into soup in there? Good. Get your asses in the pool!”

Sam and Steve shared an eyeroll but joined in the water volleyball game. After that there were burgers and potato salad and sweet corn on the cob. They had a Nerf gun battle, shot hoops in the basketball court in Tony’s basement, made over-the-top ice cream sundaes, and finished off the night laying around the pool house talking about the upcoming school year, and their expectations for it.

Steve and Bucky lounged together on a double-sized inflatable pool float, holding hands. Tony had made popcorn and occasionally tossed some their way, and Bucky tried to catch it in his mouth.

“What’s your favorite subject, Steve?” Natasha asked. She and Clint were sitting on the wicker loveseat, her feet in Clint’s lap.

“Art. I really like to draw.”

“You’ll like Mr. Lorne. He’s the art teacher and he’s really cool.”

“Nat likes his dimples,” Clint teased.

“It’s Ms. Traeger you have to watch out for,” Tony warned. “I think she’s a cyborg.”

“She’s not swayed by the Stark fortune, you mean,” Sam said.

“Hey, it’s not my fault my dad’s a gazillionaire.”

Steve let their words wash over him, glad he’d taken the mall job slinging ice cream. Glad he’d met Bucky. His first day at a new school would be a piece of cake, because he had a solid group of friends he knew would have his back.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Bucky murmured in Steve’s ear.

“I won’t,” Steve whispered back.

He didn’t want to miss a moment.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** There is no hard and fast 90s timeline for this fic. I picked some things and that’s what went in, regardless of the year it was popular. In case you were wondering. ::grins:: And yes, I had way too much fun putting Bucky in Hot Topic emo garb. Thanks for asking!
> 
> The original prompt was posted in April 2020 and I’ve been working on this in fits and starts since then, whenever inspiration struck. I decided I needed to finish it in time for More Joy Day. Hopefully you like it, schweinsty! Because I loved your prompt!
> 
> I’m also gifting this to my dear friend taste_is_sweet, for whom I write all the MCU things. There was fluff and food, two of your most favorite things. LOL!


End file.
